PERJURY CHARGE AGAINST A BARRISTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 104, 1 May 1920, Page 19

PERJURY CHARGE AGAINST A BARRISTER.

HIS RELATIOCS-S WITH HIS NIECE- j I At Bow Street, Martin -Sebastian Sal-j danha, a barrister, of Pump Conrt, Temple, appeared to a summons charging him with, I procuring Gladys Grace Xeobard Jones to. make a false statement with Intent to have same inserted In the register of births in contravention of provisions ot the Per|ury Act, 1911. Mr. Travers Humphreys, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said that Hiss Gladys Jones -was a niece of the defendant, and was twenty-one years of age In Jnly last. On January 3, 1919. she registered at Stoke Newlngton the birth of twins of I which she was the mother, she falsely, representing herself as a married woman,! -lying the name of Gladys ilartin, and the; name of the children's father as William; Sidney Martin, a lieutenant ia a Portuguese regiment, formerly of Vancouver.) These statements were all false, and after consideration the authorities decided to prosecute not the girl herself but the defendant, who was the father of the children, and who had induced her to make the statements. At the time this matter, arose the girl was living under the protection of the defendant, a -widower, who had had five children. When served with the .summons he declared that his name was John Salvadore Saldanha, and said he was a law student, adding that he was a cousin of the man named in the summons, who left England in June, 191 S. Counsel suggested that the reason for the defendant's conduct was that he wished td relieve himself of the responsibility for the children's maintenance. Gladys Grace Jones bore out counsel's opening statements, saying she came to this country from Belgium when war broke out and stayed with her uncle. As a result of relations between herself and her uncle a boy was bom in June, 1917. Her uncle told her he had registered the child in tne name of an officer In the Canadian Army. On December 1, 191S, twins were born, which witness registered as being the children of "William Sidney Martin, a lieutenant in a Portuguese regiment," under her uncle's alleged instructions. Witness later received a letter, which apparently had come from Santiago, stating the children were in a convent there: hut as a matter of fact witness knew they were at Cheltenham. The case was adjourned.